- 30g/1oz butter
- 30g/1oz flour
- 400ml/14fl oz milk
- 6 free-range egg yolks, beaten
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 40g/1½oz butter, softened
- 110g/4oz gruyère, finely grated
- 125g/4½oz smoked haddock fillet
- 300ml/11fl oz double cream
- 8 free-range egg whites
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 4 quail's eggs, poached
- 4 sprigs fresh dill
- Preheat the oven to 190C/380F/Gas 5.
- To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a small heavy-based pan over a medium heat.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the flour (this is called a roux). Return the pan to a low heat and cook for two minutes, whisking continuously.
- Remove from the heat again and add the milk, stirring constantly.
- Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring continuously. Allow to cool slightly.
- For the soufflé, beat the egg yolks into the béchamel and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with cling film and set aside at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, grease the insides of four individual soufflé dishes or ramekins (10cm/4in in diameter and 6.5cm/2½in deep) with softened butter.
- Sprinkle a handful of the grated gruyère into each soufflé dish, rotating it to coat the insides.
- Place the smoked haddock into a small pan. Add the cream and place over a low heat. When the cream starts to just come to the boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for two minutes.
- Turn off the heat and leave to rest until cool enough to handle, then remove the skin from the haddock and flake the fish into a bowl with your fingertips, removing any bones you may find. Return the fish to the heated cream.
- In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt, until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.
- Place one third of the egg whites into the béchamel mixture and stir well.
- Add the béchamel and egg white mixture to the bowl of remaining egg whites and fold in very gently, adding the gruyère and dill as you fold.
- Half-fill each prepared soufflé dish or ramekin with the soufflé mixture, then spoon in equal amounts of the smoked haddock and cream mixture.
- Fill the dishes with the remaining soufflé so that the mixture is slightly above the top edge.
- Smooth the surface with a palette knife and run a knife around the inside edge of the dish to ease the soufflé mixture away from the side of the dish – this helps the soufflé to rise.
- Stand the soufflé dishes into a deep roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dishes (this is a bain-marie).
- Place into the oven to cook for 7-8 minutes, or until risen and golden.
- To serve, top each soufflé with a poached quail's egg and a sprig of dill. Serve immediately.